Measuring apparatus.



No. 757,810.k PATENTED APR. 19, 1904.

C. B.. HUDSON.

MBASURING APPARATUS.

APPLIOATIQN Hum nu. 14, 1901. A No MQDEL. 2 SHEETS-snm' 1.

W/TNESSES PATENTED APR. 19, 1904.

0. R. f rUDsoN.v Y, MBASURING APPARATUS'. APPLICATION FILED MAB. 14, 1901.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

HO MODEL.

w/TNEssEs f A Tron/vf ys UNITED STATES Patented April 19, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

MEASURING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. l757,810, dated April 19, 1904.

Application i'lled March 14, 1901. Serial No. 51,090. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it know-n that I, CHARLES RIPLEY HUD- soN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Varren, in the county of Huntington and State of Indiana, have invented a new and Improved Measuring Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to an apparatus for measuring the depth of wells, whether driven or drilled. Heretofore the method almost invariably employed for this purpose has been to lower into the well a sort of sounding-line formed of a slight steel ribbon with a weight at the end. This method is uncertain and otherwise disadvantageous for various reasons.

My invention comprises a peculiarly-arranged instrument adapted to be used in connection with a line descending into the well and to indicate the depth to which such line descends. Preferably the instrument is used in connection with the sand-line which is attached to the bailer of the well-driving apparatus; 'but of course it will be understood that the invention is not limited to such connection.

This speciiication is a specic description of one form of the invention, While the claim is a delinition of the actual scope thereof.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying' drawings, forming a part of this speciiication, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is a front elevation of the invention. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a sectional View on the line 3 3 of Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line i 4 of Fig. 3, and Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views of the dials.

6l, indicates a frame, which may be of any preferred construction and which is arranged to he mounted on the derrick-floor alongside of the sand-line, which is indicated at in Figs. l and 2. The sand-line has a bailer b attached, and this passes down through the drive-pipe into the well in the usual manner.

Mounted in a lateral extension a of the frame a is a shaft c, on which is carried fast a grooved wheel c'. This wheel is adapted to have its grooved periphery engaged by the sand-line L, so that as said line descends a rotary movement in the direction of the arrow (shown in Fig. l) will be imparted to the drivewheel c.

At the lower part of the frame a is located an idler or guide pulley d, which engages the sand-line, as shown, and at the upper part of the frame is arranged a similar pulley d. This pulley has its axle d2 carried by a clampframe d3, the axle sliding transversely in a slot a2 in the frame a. `Mounted on the clampframe d" is a cam-lever di, bylthe manipulation of which the guide-pulley d may be moved toward or from the sand-line. When the lever CZ* is thrown downward or beyond the position shown in Fig. l, the guide-pulley d is drawn against the sand-line, causing a slight bend therein, and thus forcing said line firmly to engage the drive-wheel d. This insures that the movement of the sand-line will be accurately transmitted to the drive-wheel and avoids the slipping of the line.

The shaft c extends rearwardly into a easing c, fastened to the rear of the frame a, as shown best in Fig. 2. This casing contains the dials and the gears thereof, as will now be described. The rear portion of the shaft c (see Fig. 3) carries a iiange c2, which bears against the front wall of the casing e and indirectly against the lateral projection a of the frame a, thus holding the shaft c iirmly in the proper position. Fastened to the shaft c rearward of the flange c2 is a pinion f, which meshes with a spur j, suitably mountedl in the casing and carrying to move therewith a pinion f2. This pinion meshes with a spurgear f3, with which is connected to turn in unison a pinion f4. This pinion meshes with a pinion fa, which, together with a pinion f, is mounted to turn around a stub-shaft f7, mounted in the casing e. The pinion f meshes with a pinion f8. The spur-pinions f3 and f are carried, respectively, on shafts fg and f1,`mounted in the casing e. The movement of the primary shaft c will drive the spur-gear f3 through the medium of the gear elements f, f', and f2, and the movement of the spur-gear f3 will drive the spurfs through the medium of the gear elements f4, f5, and f". Arranged to turn with the spurwheel f3 is a dial g, which is mounted on the shaft f9 by means of a hub g and a screwcollar g2, such shaft fo turning freely in its bearings with the parts g, f3, and ff. Arranged to turn in time with the spur-wheel f8 and the shaft f 10 is a dial g3, which is mounted on the shaft f 1 and spaced from the gear f8 by an annular enlarfrementf11 on said Oear. n D b This arrangement of the parts g3 and g8 enables the gear f3 and dial g to project between said parts. The dial g3 is held in proper place by a screw-collar g4, bearing against the hub g5 of the dial similarly to the parts g2 and g. It will be seen that the dial g, which moves in time with the gear f3, will turn much faster than the dial g3 and the gear f8. The exact ratio of these movements .may of course be changed to vsuit the conditions which the measuring instrument is required to meet. According to the arrangement which I have here illustrated as an example the dial g will r make twenty revolutions to one revolution of the dial g3. Following this arrangement the dial g indicates from one to one hundred and the dial g3 indicates thousands, twenty numbers being marked on this dial, as illustrated in Fig. 6, thus makig it capable of registering two thousand units. Reference to Fig. 2 will show that the dial g has a part of its periphery visible at the back of the casing e through a slot e in the casing and that the dial g3 is likewise visible through a slot e2 in the casing. Above the slot e2 I prefer to mark two ciphers, as shown, these ciphers being read with the numbers produced on the dial g3, so as to show the indications of said dial in hundreds. For example, in Fig. 3 the instrument is placed to indicate eighteen hundred.

In applying the invention the parts are arranged as shown in the drawings, and the drive-wheel c', together with the other gear elements and the dials, is so arranged that the actual positions into which the sand-line falls will be accurately shown by the dials g and g3. Therefore as the sand-line drops the wheel c' and shaft c are set in motion, and this drives the various gear elements, causing the dials to advance continually, and if the parts are properly adjusted, as explained above, thel dials will indicate accurately the depth to which the sand-line extends. I prefer to employ the sand-line for driving the measuring instrument, because this line in general practice is formed of wire threads and will not stretch. Further, the bailer which is attached thereto is of great weight and causes the line to drop quickly and prevents the line from bending or flexing at any point within the well, which flexing would obviously detract from the accuracy of the instrument.

It will be observed that the registering mechanism operates continuously notwithfore this can be determined to run the sandline back and forth a number of times until by continually feeling, so to speak, the driller determines when the bailer is actually in the bottom of the well and when the sandline extends up taut lfrom it. It will be seen that owing to the arrangement of the register to wind backward the sand-line may be moved back and forth any number of times, and when its final adjustment is attained the register will show exactly the depth to which the sand-line has been dropped. The register is therefore in this respect an inseparable part of the measuring apparatus. In all ordinary well-drilling apparatus the-bailer is attached to one end of the sand-line, and the other end of the sand-line is attached tothe sand-reel. The measuring apparatus must therefore be engaged with the sand-line at some point intermediate its ends. and this is made possible owing to the peculiar manner of mounting the guide-pulley d. These pulleys are mounted on the frame cr and are grooved so that they will securely engage with the sand-line and will be prevented from running off of the sand-line as the latter moves up and down.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent A well-depth-measuring apparatus, comprising a vertically extending frame, a register comprising a drive-wheel mounted on the 4frame intermediate its ends, the drive-wheel being adapted to be engaged by the well-rope, a rope-guide at one side of the drive-wheel and above the same, a rope-guide at the other side of the drive-wheel below the same, a clamp frame movably mounted in the main frame transversely to the line of the rope and carrying one of said rope-guides, and a cam working with the clamp-frame to move the same horizontally, whereby to bind the rope against the drive-wheel of the register.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES RIPLEY HUDSON.

Witnesses:

M. E. OCoNNoR, L. D. THURsToN.

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